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In his inaugural address, given to a standing-room-only
crowd at the Roundhouse on 2 December 2002, the first inaugural
ceremony performed outside City Hall in over a century,
newly elected Mayor Larry Campbell laid out his plans for
revitalizing the City of Vancouver. Here is most of that
speech.
Introduction
Ward System
2010 Olympic Bid
4 Pillar Strategy
Housing the homeless
Local Economy
Three groups in need
Have Fun
Spirit of change
We are here today as a consequence
of the trust placed in us by the people of Vancouver in
last month's election. In numbers never seen before, the
citizens of this city spoke -- clearly and emphatically.
They spoke of their desire to move our city in a new direction.
They spoke of their determination to solve problems neglected
for too long. Most clearly of all, they spoke of their
unshakeable pride in our city -- and their readiness to
take our place among the leading cities of the world.
Our first goal must be to expand our civic democracy. The
significant increase in voter turnout should be a sign
to all of us that the citizens of Vancouver want more say
in the affairs of their city. The challenges facing us
are complex, but that's even more reason to increase our
citizens' involvement in finding new solutions.
Ward system for Vancouver
Our citizens are raising the bar for the incoming Council,
calling for bolder responses to long-standing problems
and greater grassroots participation. High on the agenda
is a ward system -- a way of bringing representation home
to the neighbourhood level. I have heard from countless
voters that they would like the opportunity to vote in
this way in the next municipal election. In the coming
months, I will be consulting with all of my Council colleagues
to design a process to tackle this question and other changes
that could enhance civic democracy. It is my hope that
initiatives supported by a majority of voters can be in
place in 2005. I propose to take other steps immediately
to improve citizen access to Council, including expanded
opportunities to make public submissions, more evening
meetings and more meetings in the community.
Olympic bid 2010
We will deliver on our commitment to wider citizen involvement
with a plebiscite (to be held on Saturday, February 22).
I want to restate my personal belief that Vancouver should
be the successful bidder for the 2010 Olympics. Nonetheless,
I recognize that many people have legitimate questions
about the financial, economic, social and environmental
costs -- and benefits -- of the Games. I believe those
concerns can be resolved and that doing so will strengthen
our bid. And how can we quantify the honour of hosting
the world's most important sporting event? Surely, at a
time when so many regions of the world are suffering the
consequences of war, recession or environmental degradation,
we should welcome the opportunity to make our city a symbol
of what our planet can become if we replace conflict with
peaceful competition and co-operation.
The Four Pillars Strategy
During the campaign, we asked how our city could be great
as long as we tolerated the moral, social and economic
blight of the Downtown Eastside, which has seen more than
1,000 die from addiction alone.
This debate unfolded against the backdrop of the Missing
Women tragedy. These dreadful events challenge us to confront
the causes and consequences of the sex trade, which affects
hundreds of women and youth in this city. I stand by my
commitment to ensure there is a public inquiry, when the
time is appropriate, into this entire affair. It is the
essential first step in the assessment our city must make
of a profound evil in our midst. The goal is to establish
facts, not fault; to identify solutions, not scapegoats.
In the case of the drug crisis, we are able to move, as
some of my neighbours have put it, from grief to action.
The fact that all the major contenders for office during
the election supported the Four Pillars Strategy is an
overpowering mandate from the people to implement the strategy
immediately. To this end, I have asked outgoing Mayor Philip
Owen to serve with me as co-chair of a special task force
to implement the Four Pillars approach. The task force
will include experts in each critical area -- prevention,
enforcement, treatment and harm reduction.
Housing the homeless
The plight of the homeless in the Downtown Eastside was
another important feature of the election campaign.
Despite the city's solid record of investment in low-cost
and social housing, national and provincial programs have
been eliminated. It is not fair to expect local taxpayers
to make up the social deficits caused by downloading of
programs and responsibilities from senior levels of government.
Revitalization of the Woodward's Building is essential
if we wish to spark new economic activity along Hastings
St. in the Downtown Eastside. While the costs of the project
are daunting, the benefits are enormous.
The Four Pillar Strategy and revitalization of the Woodward's
Building are two keys to confronting the crisis on the
Downtown Eastside. If we do our work well, we should be
able to eliminate the open drug market on the Downtown
Eastside by the next election. We should see more people
in treatment and detox. A comprehensive education and prevention
program should be in place to reduce the toll of drug addiction.
New housing and business investment should be generating
new activity in the community.
A cool city for Kyoto
A safer, more inclusive city is part of our vision for
the next three years. We also want a cooler city. Other
levels of government can take action to protect wilderness
and set aside protected areas. Our mandate is to protect
the environment where people live. To that end, our Council
will debate a resolution endorsing the Kyoto Accord in
the coming weeks. Some have asked why this issue is not
also put to a plebiscite. My answer is this: there is no
debate about the need for action on global warming. The
only debate is over what kind of action we should take
and how fast.
In the coming year we will develop and put forward for
consideration a Cool Vancouver strategy. Modelled on the
successful Toronto Atmospheric Fund, the Cool Vancouver
initiative will mobilize a part of our Property Endowment
Fund to meet and surpass Kyoto targets within the city.
By investing in energy conservation and other initiatives,
we should be able to reduce greenhouse gases, generate
jobs, save tax dollars and improve public health.
This initiative will be linked to efforts within the Greater
Vancouver Regional District and at Translink to break the
traffic gridlock that is choking the city. Our Council's
objective will be to increase bus service in the city through
the addition of more rapid buses, more late night service
and better service on the Broadway corridor. We will fight
fare increases and work for fare reductions. At the same
time, we will seek new initiatives to improve traffic flow
and facilitate the flow of goods and services, particularly
to and from the Port.
By 2005 we need to achieve measurable progress in reducing
gridlock and improving air quality in our city. We should
seek to establish Vancouver as a world leader in environmental
stewardship.
To achieve progress on transportation and gridlock, we
need to link regional solutions to local, neighbourhood
problems. Effective planning requires more public involvement
at the community level. Local zoning issues, neighbourhood
planning, housing initiatives and social policy have a
direct impact on our daily lives. Vancouverites want a
say in the decisions that affect their neighbourhoods'
future.
Local economy
My objective is to support the development of an economy
based on investment in excellence, where knowledge, quality
and innovation are the path to profit, not low wages or
poor standards.
Our economic policy needs to be supported by responsible
administration of the City's finances. I have committed
to hold taxes to the rate of inflation. This is an aggressive
target that will require careful management.
We must be able to tell voters in 2005 that City finances
are in order. More importantly, voters must have real opportunities
to participate in the budget process. Only then can they
have the confidence they deserve that Council's decisions
reflect their priorities.
Three groups
In my view, we need to take special measures during the
next three years to ensure three key groups see their needs
more clearly reflected in Council's work.
The first of these groups is seniors. As changes and cuts
to our health care system take their toll, seniors find
themselves pressed on every front. We need to make it easier
to be a senior in this city. We need to do everything we
can to ensure the elderly live with the dignity and respect
to which they're entitled. I will be working with my colleagues
and staff to develop and implement an action plan for seniors,
including anti-crime measures and bylaw changes to make
new residential developments more "senior-friendly."
The needs, aspirations and contributions of young people
also need to be reflected in the life of the city. It was
inspiring to see the outpouring of enthusiasm from Vancouver's
youth in response to the vision we put forward this fall.
I believe that enthusiasm deserves a response that reflects
our own enthusiasm for the energy and potential of young
Vancouver. Financial barriers to young people need to come
down. I hope the Park Board will be able to make it cheaper
for youth to use community centers and other facilities.
At the City level, we need to find the resources to provide
more support for youth facing homelessness, drug addiction
or sexual exploitation. I don't have all the answers, but
young people have many. We'll be seeking their advice and
input on City policies.
The creation of the position of child and youth advocate
was an innovation by former Mayor Gordon Campbell that
I intend to copy. I will ask Council to allocate funds
in our next budget for this post, which I believe is necessary
to focus the entire city government on the needs of children
and youth. The benefits of strong family support, good
nutrition and quality housing in the early years of life
are too well-known to repeat here. Everything we can do
to help kids get a good start is not only economically
sensible, it's morally essential. Our Council will do what
it can to assist parents, teachers and school trustees
as they confront very real funding pressures from Victoria.
Have fun
The magnitude of the issues we need to deal with should
not distract us from this reality: our city remains one
of the best places in the world to live. Vancouver is a
wonderful place to work, but it's a great place to play,
as well. My Council will take steps to make our city even
more fun -- but don't expect any new laws to make it so.
How people have fun is their business. Voters seem to have
rejected the view that city regulations can help the good
times roll. During the coming year, however, we will take
additional steps to foster festivals of music and the arts,
as well as to increase support for the arts community.
We had campaigners for dance parties and proposals for
a Love Parade, a fitting counterpart to the Pride March.
I say, bring it on -- and I look to this city's fine tradition
of home-grown, volunteer-driven events to extend even more
opportunities for families, friends and visitors to take
part in the life of our city.
Three years is not a long time. Nonetheless,
there is a sense of change in the air. Our challenge is
to engage the tens of thousands who participated in the
election and the tens of thousands more who stayed home.
They have a vision of what our city can be. Their mandate
to us is to do what we can to realize that dream. As Vancouver
poet George Bowering said in a book of poems he published
about our city in 1984:
The world turns within us,
While we transform it,
Fancy words, but true.
Thank you.
Key members of Campbell’s team
Fred Bass and Peter Ladner
Transportation and Traffic Committee
Anne Roberts and Jim Green
Planning and Environment Committee
Tim Louis and Ellen Woodsorth
City Services and Budgets committee
For the full text of the Mayor’s speech visit City
of Vancouver web site
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